Published on Jul 30, 2013
Not too many movies produce soundtracks that reach gold status, but The Great Gatsby did. With Jay Z lending a very important hand in the first high-selling soundtrack, the hip-hop collection easily struck a chord with fans of not only the movie but also of Jay Z and Florence & The Machine. Now, a second soundtrack of an entirely different nature has come to life, featuring 14 tracks, 11 of which are from The Bryan Ferry Orchestra in addition to timeless classics from Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and Irving Aaronson & His Commanders.
This second soundtrack is a much different approach, taking on jazz sounds and ideas from the 'roaring twenties.’ Bryan Ferry handles the bulk of the songs here. He reworks staples like “Crazy In Love” and “Empire State Of The Mind” as well as lesser-known songs like Lana Del Ray's “Young & Beautiful.” Ferry's most recognizable cover, though, is Amy Winehouse's “Back To Black,” which is a hushed and haunting tune with a jazzy backdrop and has some of the best recording quality here.
The non-Ferry tracks are early tracks and classics. Jelly Roll Morton contributes “New Orleans Bump,” a track recorded in 1929. Irving Aaronson And His Commanders bring “Let's Misbehave” and Louis Armstrong's signature style is in full form on “Ain't Misbehavin’.” All these songs were recorded in the last part of the '20s and they fit the era in which this film was set perfectly. There's a warm, vintage feel of these selections that almost makes it seem unfitting to be listening to it on anything but vinyl.
Those that didn't find any interest in the rap/hip-hop soundtrack would be wise to look into this more sophisticated, graceful counterpart. For many people, when they think of the timeframe of the movie, these are the sounds that come to mind and here they are captured perfectly.